Golf ball retriever



Nov. 22, 1955 p, Fn-ZGERALD 2,724,610

GOLF BALL RETRIEVER Filed Dec. 1, 1950 I :L/ r Thomas David Fitzgerald 1 30a 4 INVENTOR.

BY MM...

My Attorneys United States Patent 1 2,724,610 GOLF BALL RETRIEVER Thomas David Fitzgerald, Savannah, Ga. Application December 1, 1950, Serial No. 198,560 Claims. (Cl. 294-49) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in golf ball retrieving devices and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a foldable golf ball retriever that is quickly and readily folded into a small and compact article for carrying in a golf bag or the like.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball retriever including a handle that is composed of a plurality of sections which are manually moved apart to form a desired length for the handle together with a novel means for locking adjacent sections extended relative to each other.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball retriever including a pair of detachably connected rake head forming members each of which is provided with a plurality of teeth that are so constructed as to fit under and support a ball as the retriever is manually pulled through brush, weeds or water.

A still further aim of the present, invention is to provide a golf ball retriever in the form of a sectional rake that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention assembled for use;

Figure 2 is a group perspective view showingthe rake head forming members separated from each other and the handle;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional viewtaken substantially on the plane of section line 3-3 of Figure l; and,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the handle in modifiedform and with parts broken away and shown in section.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral represents a handle composed of a plurality of flat links or straps 12 that are staggered relative to each other with the outer end of one link overlapping the inner end of an adjacent link. The overlapping ends of adjacent links are secured together by pivots or rivets 14.

Adjacent links are retained in longitudinal alignment with each other by a novel locking means consisting of a lug 16 on one link that will enter a selected one of a pair of recesses 18 and 20 of an adjacent link. The links are preferably metallic with resilient or flexible characteristics so that the lugs 16 will be yieldingly retained in the recesses 18 or 20.

A pair of rake head-forming members 22 are detachably secured to the handle and are preferably stamped from sheet metal or plastic. Each of the members 22 includes an elongated sleeve portion 24 in which there is suitably fixed a rod 26 having a terminal eye 28 that receives a threaded lug 30 projecting longitudinally from the outermost of the links 12.

The eyes 28 are held clamped against the outer end of the outermost link 12 by a nut 32 that is threaded on the lug 30. Substantially triangular teeth 34 are integrally formed with and depend from the sleeve portions 24 and the lower tapered ends of the teeth 34 are turned 2,724,619 Patented Nov. 22, 1955 upwardly and rearwardly to form flanges 36. The side edges of the flanges 36 are bent upwardly to form substantially V-shaped ball seats or rims 38 to retain balls seated on the flanges 36. Depressions 40 are made in the rear facesof the teeth 34 and project forwardly from the front faces of the teeth tending to retain a ball against the teeth and upon the flanges as the members 22 are pulled toward a user by the handle.

Figure 4 shows the handle in modified form composed of a plurality of telescoped resilient tubes 12a with the outermost tube supporting a threaded lug 30a that will extend through the eyes 28. The outer end of each tube except the outermost of the tubes, is formed with a pair of parallel slits to provide a flexible tongue T having a protuberance 16a on its inner face that will be yieldingly retained in a recess 20a in the inner end of an adjacent tube when the tubes are extended relative to each other.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A golf ball retriever comprising a handle and a rake head secured to saidhandle and including a plurality of downwardly tapering teeth having angulated lower ends, and flanges on the edges of said lower ends forming ball seats.

2. A golf ball retriever comprising a handle having a threaded lug at one end, and a pair of rake head-forming members detachably secured to said handle, each of said members including an elongated sleeve portion, a rod fixed in each sleeve and having a terminal eye receiving said lug, a nut threaded on said lug and holding said eyes thereon, substantially triangular teeth depending from said sleeves constituting part of said members and having angulated lower ends, and. flanges rising from the edges of said lower ends.

3. A ball-retrieving rake head comprising a member composed of a plurality of side-by-side triangular platelike teeth having lower ends bent substantially perpendicular to the upper ends of the teeth and provided with upper faces, whereby the teeth will be substantially L- shaped, and a V-shaped rib on the upper face of each of said lower ends forming ball seats.

4. A foldable golf ball retriever comprising a handle composed of a plurality of stepped, flat straps, adjacent straps having overlapping end portions, pivots securing the overlapping end portions of said straps together, and a rake head secured to one of said straps, said rake head including a plurality of L-shaped teeth having lower ends and flanges at their lower ends.

5. A foldable. golf ball retriever comprising a handle composed of a plurality of stepped, flat straps, adjacent straps having overlapping end portions, pivots securing the overlapping end portions of said straps together, and a rake head secured to one of said straps, said rake head including a plurality of L-shaped teeth having lower ends and flanges at their lower ends, said flanges comprising V-shaped rims on said lower ends forming ball seats.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 556,389 Wheeler Mar. 17, 1896 852,245 Stewart Apr. 30, 1907 1,020,387 Greene Mar. 12, 1912 1,059,054 Lindelier Apr. 15, 1913 1,141,423 Simas June 1, 1915 1,192,174 Dvorak July 25, 1916 1,267,915 Shellabarger May 28, 1918 1,442,363 Saxe Jan. 16, 1923 1,538,995 Lakatos May 26, 1925 1,682,795 Morgan Sept. 4, 1928 2,065,830 Sherman Dec. 29, 1936 2,110,538 Walsh Mar. 8, 1938 2,218,825 Guillon Oct. 22, 1940 

